Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2025
Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
I speak a little Arabic: Nursing communication in a cross-cultural context
Dawn Kuzemski1, Alison Thirlwall2, Margaret Brunton3
1Kanad Hospital, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Aims And Objectives:
This study investigated the challenges of cross-cultural communication among internationally qualified nurses, and the impact on nurse-to-nurse and nurse-to-patient relationships.
Background:
Open and authentic communication between nurses and patients is required as a foundation of patient-centred practice; however, this may be a challenge in cross-cultural settings.
Design:
An exploratory qualitative study with an inductive approach.
Methods:
Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews explored the influences on communication and practice of 21 internationally qualified nurses practising in the United Arab Emirates. Manual and software-driven processes guided coding and analysis of data. Caring theory guided the analysis of themes; while COREQ criteria guided research conduct and reporting.
Results:
Four key themes emerged; (a) Challenges in communication, (b) The science versus art of nursing; (c) The impact of ineffective communication and (d) Strategies for coping. Eleven sub-themes are reported within these themes. Overall, nurses felt they had sufficient language and nursing skills to undertake the technical or scientific aspects of their work; however, they reported experiencing restricted ability to participate in complex cross-cultural conversations, such as providing explanations and reassurance about treatment options or discussing end of life and treatment decisions. This limitation diminished the nurses' ability to engage in the art of nursing and left them unable to employ themselves therapeutically to attain a sense of true presence with patients and their families.
Conclusion:
This article highlights the need for language and communication support, and Arabic-speaking advocates as partners in care for expatriate nurses.
Relevance To Practice:
Internationally qualified nurses in this Middle Eastern setting lack cultural orientation and language skills to fully enact the art and true presence of nursing. Findings indicate that health service employers need to increase the employment of Arabic-speaking nurses and provide additional language for other expatriate nurses.
More Related Videos
08:10Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy NIRS Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa
Published on: February 2, 2018
14:32Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Related Concept Videos
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:30Therapeutic Communication
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
01:28Communication
01:03Communication
01:15Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
01:29Levels of Communication I: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Small Group
We can participate in these relationships through verbal, nonverbal, and mediated communication. We engage in verbal communication when we use words during our interaction to convey specific meanings. On the other hand, nonverbal communication refers to various factors that can impact how we understand each other—for example, facial expressions.
We interact with others using mediated technologies like the...